{"id":308,"date":"2008-12-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-12-31T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=308"},"modified":"2008-12-31T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-12-31T11:00:00","slug":"21st-century-skill-1-know-thy-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=308","title":{"rendered":"21st Century Skill #1 – Know Thy Source"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his blog, \u201cOh, and You Have a Degree, Too?<\/a>\u201d Will Richardson returns to a theme he has expressed on numerous occasions; a concern that schooling wrongfully prepares kids for college. Actually, I’m not sure what his point is except that Will maintains the “radical” notion that his children should learn everywhere and have the freedom to choose their own destinations in life. I honestly don’t understand his arguments and doubt that we disagree much.<\/p>\n

In this blog<\/a> and its previous incarnations, I’ve commented that American higher education represents some of the greatest innovation in education today. Sure, there are crappy colleges and universities, but there are an awful lot of good ones embodying the progressive liberal arts principles I think Will and I share.<\/p>\n

However, that is not the purpose of this blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Will Richardson’s recent blog<\/a>, he cites the views of Charles Murray as supporting evidence for his argument. Neither Will, nor a single one of the 32 blog commenters (as of 3:09 Pacific Time – 12\/31\/08) question the source used to support Will’s thesis. Not one.<\/p>\n

I am not a fan of the 21st Century Skills or Information Literacy movements. I see them as much-a-do about so very little and find that the opportunity costs of focusing on information literacy result in children learning too little with and about computers. However, my understanding of the 21st Century Skill\/School 2.0\/Information Literacy bluster suggests that a basic skill required to navigate the world of ideas is question the source of what you read.<\/p>\n

Questioning the source leads a reader to consider the potential for bias, validity or reliability in a person’s argument. Such a modicum of skepticism allows the reader to better make sense of information and assess its credibility before making decisions or passing the information along to others.<\/p>\n

I often stress the importance of being well-grounded in the education literature and understanding learning theory sufficiently to communicate one’s practice articulately. Chris Lehmann<\/a> also reminds our colleagues in the blogosphere how we stand on the shoulders of giants. A knowledge of education history allows us to better navigate the challenges of today and tomorrow. It also keeps one from being snookered or aligned with noxious views.<\/p>\n

This is all a very long-winded way of questioning whether Will Richardson should have quoted Charles Murray as an expert in order to advance his ideas.<\/p>\n

At best, Charles Murray is one of the chief ideologues of the right<\/a>. At worst, some consider him a White supremacist<\/a>. Charles Murray is most famous for a book he coauthored, Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life<\/a>. In this book, Murray makes the claim that Black people are genetically intellectually inferior to white people.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Bell Curve <\/span>is not some obscure publication, but rather a New York Times Bestseller. It was featured in newspapers, television debates and has spawned a cottage industry of books dismantling its pseudo-science, racism and social Darwinism. The eminent evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote extensively<\/a> about Murray’s work (and not in a good way).<\/p>\n

Disturbing as I find the anachronism of The Bell Curve, I am even more distressed by its pervasive disingenuousness. The authors omit facts, misuse statistical methods, and seem unwilling to admit the consequence of their own words. (Stephen Jay Gould, 1994<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Murray’s assertions were based on a series of internal contradictions, specious arguments and outright phony claims unsupported by his data…<\/p>\n

…Murray’s ascendancy would never have been possible without the patient, far-sighted investments in his work by a conservative network of funders and foundations, including the reclusive billionaire, Richard Mellon Scaife. (Eric Altermann, 2007<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Richard Mellon Scaife also funded “The Arkansas Project<\/a>” the bogus journalistic witch-hunt against Bill and Hillary Clinton accusing them of all sorts of things, including murder.<\/p>\n

Even if we grant his hypothesis \u2014 that only a relatively few children are capable of high academic achievement \u2014 can we identify for a certainty which ones they are, especially among the underprivileged and those who are academically disadvantaged before they set foot in school? And do we want to live in an Aldous Huxley world where our place in the pecking order is more or less predetermined? (New York Times review of Murray’s most recent book, October 29, 2008<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In a September 2008 New York Times interview, Murray says that his latest book, the basis for the article Will cites, is a distillation of things I\u2019ve been thinking since \u201cThe Bell Curve.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

In the rest of the rather snarky and anti-intellectual recent New York TImes interview<\/a> timed to sell his new book, Murray favors think-tanks (that pay his rent) over higher education, defends anti-intellectualism and expresses his love for Sarah Palin. I don’t believe that Will Richardson intended to side with such a fine person as Mr. Murray.<\/p>\n

A popular information literacy pundit alarms educator audiences by using the example of martinlutherking.org to demonstrate how dangerous the web can be unless we are critical readers of information. Considering the source of information seems prudent.<\/p>\n

I’m confident that my friend Will Richardson does not want to take sides with Charles Murray in the education wars.<\/p>\n

As they used to say at the end of roll-call on Hill Street Blues, “Hey, let’s be careful out there!”<\/p>\n

Additional resources:
\u2022 Here is an online university text<\/a> challenging Murray’s work – http:\/\/www.indiana.edu\/~intell\/bellcurve.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Brittanica Blog review<\/a> of Murray’s latest book – http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/blogs\/2008\/08\/there-he-goes-again-charles-murray-that-is-on-real-education\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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